Critics brand Tory plan for British Bill of Rights a threat to 'pillar of devolution'

THE Human Rights Act is "an important pillar of devolution", and plans to repeal it could damage the protection of rights in the UK, according to the Scottish Human Rights Commission.

In a joint statement with its Northern Irish counterpart, the commission warns against Conservative plans to replace the act with a British Bill of Rights, insisting any move would be a "retrogressive" step in the protection of human rights in the UK.

The bodies insist their intervention is timed to inform debate ahead of the election, which will see the Tories campaign for the repeal of the act, or sections of it. The statement reads: "The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission agree that the UK Human Rights Act 1998 should be ringfenced and built upon as part of further progress in the promotion and protection of human rights within and across all jurisdictions, including devolved, excepted and reserved areas."

It maintains that the commissions agree "any process towards establishing a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, or other similar statute, for the UK or any of its constituent parts, which seeks to repeal the Human Rights Act in part or whole would be retrogressive in terms of the promotion and protection of human rights."

Commenting on the release, Professor Alan Miller, chairman of the SHRC, said: "Any government of the United Kingdom should uphold and defend the highest standards of international human rights obligations and not seek to reduce their influence in any way. The Human Rights Act, in combination with the Scotland Act, is an important pillar of devolution for Scotland. Rather than needing to be repealed, it needs to be progressively built upon in Scotland."

But a Tory spokeswoman said the Human Rights Act had "failed to protect our historic freedoms from unprecedented attack under this government".

She added: "It has fuelled a claims culture that seeks to inflate rights, created confusion for those on the front line of law enforcement and undermined social responsibility.

"The act has at times demeaned the language of human rights, creating a culture of rights without responsibilities, and warped administrative decisions."

She claimed a British Bill of Rights would better protect the UK's "traditional liberties".